Guinness World Record Attempt in Wexford - July 16th 2005

Loobz

Hi to all on Boards.

Im here to give information on behalf of the Friends of New Houghton Hospital, a non profit fundraising committee. They are attempting to enter the Guinness Book with a World Record attempt by making the worlds largest greeting card. This is a long post so please bear with me. Please try keep this thread spam free, thank you.

The New Houghton Hospital Record Breaking Challenge

The organisers intend to create the world’s largest greetings card as part of a fundraiser for the New Houghton Hospital in New Ross, July 16th 2005.
The attempt will create a card that will measure 20 feet tall and 37 feet long in total.
The Guinness Book of Records set the challenge as creating an actual real life card, including envelope, posting and delivery.

Who are we?

• Friends of New Houghton Hospital, a non profit fundraising committee.
• We raise funds for specialised equipment for the elderly patients.
• The hospital is a centre that cares for 70 people.

What we intend to do:

• To make the world’s largest greeting card.
• The card will be unveiled in New Ross, July 16th 2005.
• It will raise over €50,000 for the hospital.
• The inside of the card will be divided into 5000 boxes and sold for €10 each.

Rules and regulations:

• The card has to be made from no more than three panels that can be glued together.
• It must be treated as a regular card, free standing, placed into an envelope, brought to the post office, franked and delivered.

Record attempt:

• The current holders are the Students of Commerce day in UCD.
• The record was set in 1990.
• The size of card then was, 9m X 6m.
• If this new attempt is successful it will be a full 10 foot larger than the record set by UCD.

In 2004, the committee raised over €35,000 for specialized beds and ancillary supplies. This event has the potential to raise over €50,000.

Event:

The card will be free standing, parcelled into an envelope and then carried by the various community groups and local associations throughout the Town to the Post Office. Once franked, it will be delivered to another venue, where it will be reinforced and secured. It will then be open to the public to come in and see it, see the entrants into the competition and look for their own box on the card if they purchased one.

How you can contribute:
The inside panels are the boxes offered to the public. Each one sold will be covered by a label with the message, logo or name of the person who bought it. (nothing offensive obviously)

More Information
Over the next few weeks, we intend to talk to household names such as Ray D’Arcy, Gerry Ryan, Pat Kenny and Joe Duffy to seek the help of the people in sourcing the materials to build the card.

Coming closer to the day, we will be liaising the same broadcasters and also be in a position to conduct interviews with television programmes such as TV3, RTE Nationwide, SKY News Ireland.

This attempt will make National headlines and images of the card will be all over the papers and television.

The card is being designed by Don Conroy, from RTE. The design with the theme, ‘Caring for our Community’ will be unveiled at the launch of the fundraising drive.

The front image on the card which is being designed by RTE’s Don Conroy, will be unveiled at a special gala launch in the Brandon House Hotel in New Ross on Monday June 13th at 8pm.

Under the theme ‘Be a sport, buy a box!’ the event will be launched by Wexford All Star Footballer Mattie Forde and Hurling All Star, Damian Fitzhenry, Jade (You’re a Star) and Chris Doran (You’re a Star).

It is hoped that a well known local celebrity will act as M.C.

The attempt if successful will enter the Book of Records as the World’s largest Card. Work is ongoing on booking a Record Team to certify the attempt to be in New Ross on the weekend.

Finally, The worlds largest greetings card will be unveiled on Saturday 16th July in the St. Mary’s Secondary School in New Ross.


If there are any more details I will let ye know.

Dublin8

can i get my signatures on it too :eek:

Loobz

You can of course. They are selling 'squares' at 10 euros each. The inside of the card is divided into 5,022 squares. You can buy one and put whatever you want on it, nothing offensive. Or you could buy a few, it doesnt matter.

kinkstr

Fantastic idea Loobz, best of luck with it, i mite by an oul square off ya

Loobz

Thanks Kinkstr. The best way to get more information or buy squares is to attend the special gala launch in the Brandon House Hotel in New Ross on Monday June 13th at 8pm. I am hoping to get alternative ways of buying squares very soon for those who cannot attend or who would simply like to donate for this cause.

deisedevil

Well done lube, great idea, your a legend! good luck with it.

Adam

Keep us posted on alternative methods to buy a box, if we cant attend the Gala, as I would like to purchase one, or several! Topnotch idea, good for you!

Repli

I'll be there!

Loobz

Thanks Repli, this is a good way for everyone to become part of a 'Guinness Book of Records' record.

Loobz

*bump*

*bump*

kinkstr

cough tonite

Serbian

Do you have measurements on the squares? Would it be okay to get a label designed that could just be stuck on within the dimensions of the panel?

Loobz

"The front image on the card which is being designed by RTE’s Don Conroy, will be unveiled at a special gala launch in the Brandon House Hotel in New Ross on Monday June 13th at 8pm"

I really dont know the size of the individual boxes. Sorry bout that.

kinkstr

Im sure Loobz will have more info after he attends the function tonite.
O and what are the chances of their being an open bar tonite

Cianos

what about getting several squares that are bunched together, big enough to put a picture there - or a company logo? Or would this be too commercial and take away from the point of it?

Loobz

No open bar Im afraid Kinkstr, but there was free wine and cheese
I attended the opening gala last night. Don Conroy was there amongst others who unveiled the design for the card.

Just to make things clear, you cannot stick photos or paper of your own on the card as this will make it unstable. At the end of the day it hass to stand for 5 mins to be verified by a Guinness representative. The tickets are sold, you are given a card with your square number on it. You then write your name and address on a slip of paper corresponding to the card number. I presume you can write what you like but the majority were writing their name and address. This is then transferred at a later stage to a sticker which will be stuck to the inside of the card. And there will be roughly 5,000 stickers.

The card has to stand for 5 mins, put in a giant envelope, stamped at the main Post office in New Ross and then delivered by hand to the New Haughton Hospital.

I hope that clears things up.

Loobz

what about getting several squares that are bunched together, big enough to put a picture there - or a company logo? Or would this be too commercial and take away from the point of it?

Im not sure if this would work. The squares are being sold in order (ie. 1, 2, 3, 4....) so so it may be a bit difficult. But Id say it is possible. I was thinking of buying enough squares to say 'Happy Birthday Johnny' for myself (as its my bday around 16th July) but Im a bit low on cash. Still, messages like this are not impossible.